Europe

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

Shop Book
Church on an island in Lake Bled, Slovenia

©AleksandarGeorgiev/Getty Images

Overview

There simply is no way to tour Europe and not be awestruck by its natural beauty, epic history and dazzling artistic and culinary diversity.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • BARCELONA - AUGUST 9: View of the Sagrada Familia, iconic landmark in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, on August 9, 2017. Designed by Gaudi and estimated to be completed by 2028. Cranes digitally removed 756015418 antoni, antonio, architecture, art, barcelona, blue, building, catalan, catalonia, cathedral, church, city, construction, designed, editorial, europe, facade, familia, family, famous, gaudi, gothic, historical, history, la, landmark, modern, monument, pond, religion, sagrada, sky, spain, spanish, structure, summer, tall, temple, tourism, tower, town, travel

    La Sagrada Família

    L'Eixample

    The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family) is considered to be the symbol of Barcelona by many residents, and the…

  • Outer courtyard at Stockholm's Royal Palace

    Kungliga Slottet

    Gamla Stan

    A massive structure with more than 600 rooms on 11 levels, Kungliga Slottet (the Royal Palace) dominates the north end of Gamla Stan. The official…

  • AMSTERDAM - OCTOBER 3: Van Gogh museum building outstanding with design architectured in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on October 3, 2015.; Shutterstock ID 415294189; Your name (First / Last): Daniel Fahey; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Van Gogh Museum POI

    Van Gogh Museum

    Amsterdam

    This wonderful museum traces Van Gogh's life and artistic development via the world's largest collection of his work. More than 200 canvases are on…

  • SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 01: Library of the monastery St. Gallen, Switzerland. 2000 hand writings, 1635 incunable and almost 100.000 books. The library was built between 1758 and 1767 und richly decorated. (Photo by Imagno/Getty Images) [St. Gallen, Schweiz: Ehemaliges Benediktiner-Kloster. Stiftsbibliothek mit 2000 Handschriften, 1635 Wiegen- und Fruehdrucken (Inkunabeln) und schliesslich 100.000 Buechern, 1758-1767 erbaut und kunstvoll ausgestattet. Stift St. Gallen: 612 Zelle des hl. Gallus, eines Gefaehrten Columbans, 719 wird durch den hl. Otmar das Kloster errichtet, das 747 die Regel Benedikts annimmt, 1805 saekularisiert.] 56463766 Abbeys, Architecture, Books, Interiors, Libraries, Photo tgg06/01

    Stiftsbibliothek

    Northeastern Switzerland

    If the greatest masterpieces on earth are wrought for the glory of God, St Gallen’s Stiftsbibliothek (Abbey Library), is like a living prayer. Religious…

  • Amalfi, Italy - April 11, 2013: Amalfi cathedral, known as Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea, and Duomo di Amalfi, in Italian, in the town of Amalfi, Italy 1885714297 amalfi, architecture, building, campania, cathedral, cattedrale di sant'andrea, church, duomo di amalfi, europe, heritage, historic, holiday, italy, landmark, mediterranean, old, religion, tourism, travel

    Cattedrale di Sant’Andrea

    Amalfi

    Once the very symbol of Amalfi’s power, Cattedrale di Sant’Andrea (also known as Duomo di Amalfi) is the town’s most iconic monument.

  • OCTOBER 26, 2014: People walking past market stalls on the La Rambla street in Barcelona.

    La Rambla

    La Rambla & Barri Gòtic

    La Rambla is a tree-lined boulevard featuring a wide array of architectural delights, beautifully decorated flower stalls and particularly talented (and…

  • The red train running on the Jungfrau railway with a background view of Jungfrau

    Jungfraujoch

    Bernese Oberland

    This is the big one. At 3454m above sea level, Jungfraujoch is Europe’s highest train station: a once-in-a-lifetime trip, with views of the deeply…

  • Prado Museum facade and Cervantes statue in Madrid, Spain 188461775 ancient, architectural, architecture, building, capital, cervantes, city, cityscape, cloudy, columns, daylight, destination, entrance, europe, european, exterior, facade, famous, historic, historical, history, iberia, iberian, landmark, madrid, mediterranean, monument, museum, national, old, place, prado, spain, spanish, statue, street, symbol, tourism, tower, travel, urban, view

    Museo del Prado

    Madrid

    Welcome to one of the world's premier art galleries. More than 7000 paintings are held in the Museo del Prado’s collection (of which only around 1500 are…

View more attractions

Planning Tools

Expert guidance to help you plan your trip

Best Time to Visit

Given that Europe shines bright all year, the decision on when to travel to Europe depends on your budget and what you hope to do while there.

Read article

Articles

Latest stories from Europe

Filter by interest:

A suspension bridge spans the emerald waters of the Soca River in Slovenia, aerial view. This spot is a favored destination for kayaking and trekking in Slovenia., License Type: media, Download Time: 2025-02-24T21:44:35.000Z, User: rhylton_redventures, Editorial: false, purchase_order: 56530 - Guidebooks, job: Lonely Planet WIP, client: Lonely Planet WIP, other: Rhianydd Hylton

Activities

13 unexpected summer holiday spots in Europe

May 23, 2025 • 13 min read

Read more articles

Build a memorable collection

Get to the heart of Europe with one of our in-depth, award-winning guidebooks, covering maps, itineraries, and expert guidance.

in partnership with getyourguide

Book popular activities in Europe

Go Beyond

Europe and beyond

Beyond Europe